SHSMD Podcast Rapid Insights for Health Care Marketers, Planners, and Communicators

Ever wonder how a speech pathologist transitions to a CEO role in a major medical institution? Sommer Kleweno Walley shares her unique career trajectory and the critical choices that shaped her path. Learn how she harnessed clinical experience to lead effectively in the hospital environment. 

Learn more about Sommer Kleweno Walley 

In this episode, join us as we explore the inspiring journey of Tracey Lewis Taylor, Chief Operating Officer at El Camino Health. Tracy shares her remarkable experiences in health care, the importance of mentorship, and how learning from every step along the way shaped her leadership qualities. Discover how you can apply these insights to your professional path in healthcare.

In this episode, we reveal how health care marketers can uncover hidden opportunities by looking inward and identifying overlooked organizational strengths. Through real-world case studies and executive insights, this episode offers practical tools to drive innovation, reinvigorate brand strategy, and prepare for future market shifts.

In this episode, we explore how Corewell Health successfully rebranded following the merger of Spectrum Health and Beaumont, transforming every branded asset across 21 hospitals and 300+ outpatient locations. Angela Gusse and Jon Levy share strategies, lessons learned, and practical tools for navigating large-scale brand transitions in complex health care environments.

Join experts from Risant Health as they explore how human-centered design is transforming healthcare. Learn how empathy, innovation, and collaboration are creating more compassionate and effective care systems through real-world stories and strategies.

In this episode, we explore how health care communicators can guide organizations through shifting policies and public skepticism by building agile, personalized thought leadership strategies. Shannon McCormick and Jeb Phillips share how Nationwide Children’s Hospital identifies and empowers diverse leaders to influence clinical, research, and policy conversations while aligning advocacy with organizational goals.

This episode dives into how health systems can harness the power of Brand Ambassadors to drive internal engagement, build trust, and support major brand transformations. Hear how Powers Health empowered over 200 ambassadors to champion their rebrand, creating authentic connections and fueling effective internal communications.

Discover how healthcare advertisers can boost campaign performance using data-driven strategies and audience precision at scale. Jeanette Geer from Spectrum Reach shares insights from new research, revealing how TV drives engagement and how to reach your ideal audience with confidence.

This episode dives into how Customer Data Platforms (CDPs) are reshaping health care marketing. Join Ryan Younger of Virtua Health and Craig Blake from Amsive as they unpack strategies for boosting ROI, ensuring HIPAA compliance, and integrating CDPs to drive smarter, data-informed campaigns.

Donna Teach is the SHSMD Leadership Excellence Award Recipient. The SHSMD Leadership Excellence Award honors outstanding leaders who have contributed to the field of health care strategy, including marketers, strategic planners, business developers and communications/PR leaders—individuals who are truly exemplars of the strategy professions and can demonstrate a career of stellar achievement.

Nardeep Singh is one of 4 SHSMD Rising Star Awardees. T​​​​he SHSMD Rising Star recognizes health care strategy professionals under the age of 40 who have demonstrated outstanding promise in their respective fields. This recognition shines a spotlight on SHSMD members who have made or are on their way to making significant contributions to their profession and the SHSMD membership.

Lacey Reichwald is one of 4 SHSMD Rising Star Awardees. T​​​​he SHSMD Rising Star recognizes health care strategy professionals under the age of 40 who have demonstrated outstanding promise in their respective fields. This recognition shines a spotlight on SHSMD members who have made or are on their way to making significant contributions to their profession and the SHSMD membership.

Khrista Boster is one of 4 SHSMD Rising Star Awardees. T​​​​he SHSMD Rising Star recognizes health care strategy professionals under the age of 40 who have demonstrated outstanding promise in their respective fields. This recognition shines a spotlight on SHSMD members who have made or are on their way to making significant contributions to their profession and the SHSMD membership.

In this episode, we explore how El Camino Health and The Innova Group built a data-driven ambulatory surgery strategy to strengthen physician alignment, expand patient access, and improve system margins. Using claims data, financial modeling, and targeted outreach, they share a replicable framework for identifying ASC opportunities and aligning strategic growth with operational and capital planning.

This episode explores how Acenda Integrated Health tackled workforce engagement challenges using its “Educate, Engage, Repeat” strategy. Learn how multi-channel communication and employer branding helped build a stronger culture and improve retention across a mobile healthcare workforce.

Discover how Children’s Nebraska transformed its complex strategic plan into a dynamic, actionable roadmap that engages employees and drives meaningful results. Learn how champion-led goals, streamlined success metrics, and a mission-aligned framework are helping the organization thrive in a post-pandemic healthcare landscape.